Fifth-wheel.



W. KNAPP.

FIFTH WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 19H.

1., 182,572. Patented May 9,1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c

WILLIAM. KNAIP, or CINCINNATI, ,onro.

: FIFTH-WHEEL.

TocZZ whom z'zfmayconcern."

Be lhkilOWIl that 1, WILLIAM KNAPP, a

citizen of the UnitedStatcs of America, and

a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fifth-VVheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fiftlrwheels, and its object is to simplify sucha structurewithout sacrificing strength or durability and, also,

weight, to reduce the number of parts and to render more'efiective its operation, and still further, to facilitateassembling'and repairs.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, togetherwith the combination and arrangement of parts, such as will behereinafter fully referred'to and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal ele vation showing the rear. side of the-front axle and bolster devices, together with a crosssection, taken on the perpendicular dotted-- line a, a, of Fig. 2, showingthe upper and lower circles of the fifth wheel and the fore ends of the percl1irons, and all illustrating,

(as far as they go,) the important features of my invention herein; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation taken on theperpendicular dottedline b, b, of Fig. 1, but includingtherein the parts of the device'that are not shown in Fig. 1 but that areto the rear of'said' perpendicular dotted-line a, a, of this view (Fig. 2) Fig. 3, a detail cross-section showing the head-block and the fore end of one of the upper perch-irons or braces, to illustrate the manner in which said perch-iron or brace'is constructed and attached to said head-block; Fig. 4:, a detail plan view of the head-block rest or plate, showing it apart from the remainder of the device herein; Fig.5, a sectional View of the axle, axle-bed, one end of the lower-circle and an elevation of the in tegral clip jaws or arms depending from said lower-circle and illustrating the manner in which said end of the lower-circle is secured in place to said axle and axle-bed; and Fig. 6, a fragmentary plan view showing the central portion of the upper-circle and the manner in which it is connected with the reaches of thedevice herein.

1 indicates the fore or front axle; 2 the axle-bed; 3 the head-block or bolster; 4i, 4:

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 30, 1911. Serial No. 617,871.

to relatively decrease thecost of manufactureyto" decrease its;

the reaches having the upwardly-curved metallic extensions or perch-irons 5, 5, the latter be ng preferably provided with vertical lugs 6, for accommodating horizontal bolts 7 that connect the reaches to the bolster 3; 8 the PatentedMay e, 1916.

head-block plate or rest having a central rearwardly-extending eye 9 that is of much greaterthiclmess than that of the body por-' tion ofvthe head-blockplate; 10, 10 the verti cal inverted .U-shaped clips having lower screw -bolt extensions 11 that engage holesfor perforations 11 in the lateral exten'sions'of the head-block plate and receive securing nuts 12; 13 the upper-circle connected at its opposite ends to the head-block or bolster 3 by means of vertical bolts 14: whose heads en gage countersunk openings made in the 1111-. der face of the said upper-circle and whose shanks pass upward from the upper-circle through the head-block plate and the bolster for screw-threaded engagement with nuts 15; 16 the lower circle havingintegral vertical clip-arms 17, the latter engaging'over the aXle-bed2 and the axle land having lower screw-bolt extensions 18 that pass I through openings 19 for engagement with nuts 20 to secure said lower-circle firmly in place on the axle-bed; and 21 central lugs projecting horizontally, forwardly and rearwardly from the upper-circle for coupling engagement with a removable tie-bar 22,

verticalbolts 23 being used to connect said lugs 21 with said tie-bar 22, the latter having a transverse semi-circular concavity for receiving and perm tting the circular-move ment of the lower-circle therein.

The fore ends of the'perch-irons or braces l 5 are provided with downwardly-projecting pins 24 that engage perforations 25 made in the rearwardly-extending central portlon of the head-block plate or rest 8, as best seen in Fig. 8. This peculiar connection of said perch-irons with the head-block plate isvery simple and easily made in assembling the parts, and is very firm and secure to prevent lateral and thrust movements.

26, (taken as a whole,) indicates the vertical king-bolt having a shouldered enlarged portion 27 from which projects a screwthreaded upper extension 28 and a downward extension 29, the lower end of which latter is also screw-threaded forthe engagement of the nuts 30 and 81. upper-extension 28passes through the thick ened eye 9 of the head-block plate 8 for engagement by a nut 32.

The threaded The lower extension 29 passes downward through an eye'33projecting rearwardly from a clip 34, the latter having a single screw-bolt extension 35'at' its fore side that passes through an opening 36 made in a clip-tie 37 and is engaged by a nut 38. The clip-tie 37 passes rearwardly' beneath and engages the axle 1 and is provided with a rearwardly-projecting eye 39, through which latter the'downwardly-pro jectingv shank 29 of the king-bolt: passes for engagement by the securing-nut 30.

Alower perch-iron or brace e0 projects-in acurved line forwardly from the underside of the reaches 4:, 4 such lower perch-iron spreading outrearwardly in fork-like form, as customary, and having: an eye 41 at its fore end through which the lower screwthreaded end ofthe king-bolt passesior err-- gagement with the fastening-nut 31-.

In the assembling of the parts they are readily drawn together in compact position by means of a simple form of shouldered kingbolt and the series of ,vertically-alined eyes that project rearwardly from the foreaxle and head-block, all as bestseen in Fig. 2. The clip 34 with its eye 33 anclthe clip; tie 37 with its eye 39i-makes a very simple form of device through which thelower reducedend of the king-bolt passes and is connected with the axle-bedand fore-axle. The head-block plate with its king-bolt eye 9 and forwardly-projecting lugs or clip-extensions provide a veryssimple and eli'ective form of device for supporting the king-bolt at its upper reduced end and permitting swiveling of the fore-axle on the head-block and the upper-circle. a

v The provision ofthe vertical lugs 6 at the fore-ends of theperch-irons 5 is a very simple andefi'ective form of device for use'in connection with-the horizontal bolts 7 that unite the fore ends of the reaches 4 with the head-block or bolster 3, easily connected and disconnected. v

The provision of the integral pendent clip-arms 17 at the opposite ends of the lower-circle 16 is a very simple and eifective form of'device for use in connection with the lowen cliprties 1i9iito, connect the said lowercircle with the axle-bed and fore-axle.

It will be observed that neither of the two circles of the device has any brace or cross- 23 for the upper and lower circles isa simple and effective one and very easily made and released. 7 v

I claim I In a vehicle-,fifth-wheel structure,the combination ofa fore-axle, a=bolster-, a bottomplate having; a pierced rear-extension and secured to the bolster, a pair" of? perch-irons each having at its fore-endanupright per.-

forated attaching-lug and a. pendent pin. the

latter adapted'tdengagean opening'insaid pierced rear-extension of said! bottom-plate,

a removable king-bolt provided with an in termediate shouldered-enlargement and with its upper threadedend adaptedfor engagement-with a central-openingrinsaid pierced rear extension of. the bottom-plate, spaced I clips-on the axle having lower. clip-ties a central clip'on-the aX-lecarryingan integral rearwardly -extending eyethat vertically alines with the centralopening' of the rearextension of the said. bottomrplate and is adapted for engagement with the lower shoulder of said, king-bolt enlargement, an upper-circle, and" a lower-circle, with both circles respectively connected to :said bolster and fore-axlei a WILLIAM KNAPP. Witnesses:

JOHN ELIAS J ONES-,. LAURA E. SHIELDS.

Goplerot thispatelt nay be obtaincdrlor five cents each by addressing-the "Commissioner,01;:13tents.

Wfuhington, D. 0,? 

